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Text by CRI Reporter Shen Ting

late afternoon when I began to climb the mountain. In order to catch the best moment to view the sunset, I had to waste no time on the road. In spite of this, the beautiful sceneries still caught my attention and caused me to stop and soak them in from time to time.

Without lingering too long at the rock, I went on to head for the mountain's peak. After just ten-minutes climbing, some graceful Buddhist music came entered my ears from a distance, as the scent of incense could also be vaguely detected. Accelerating my steps, I finally saw a small temple and, after making a turn on the path, the huge Pantuo Rock in front of it. The place is believed to be another venue that Guanyin sermonized. In the glow of the sunset, the gold-gilded rock emanated yellow aurora and looked even more charming. The rock is actually composed of two pieces of stone, with the lower one named Pan and the upper, Tuo. The upper one seems to be laid upon the lower one, with only a small connecting point. Although the rock looks shaky and likely to fall down at any time, it has been staying there steadily in place for thousands of years.

Standing on the rock, one has a great panorama of the mountain and the sea below. No wonder it has become one of the most famous scenic spots in Putuo.
 
I stayed around Pantuo Rock for a while to check out the stone carvings on it and nearby, I began to walk down the mountain as the sun disappeared from the horizon.

Guanyin Photo: llgyw.com

Mount Putuo Photo: heshang.net

Expecting to encounter nothing more ahead of me, another temple caught my eye by surprise. Named Guanyin Cave Temple, it is relatively small. The Statue of Guanyin is uniquely enshrined in a cave, where candles and incense are burning all year round. Some structures have been built around the cave, and have become a temple. Perhaps because of its small scale or because it was already too late when I visited it, there were few pilgrims and visitors in it, a sharp contrast to the popularity and busy scene of Pu Ji Chan Temple. But as far as I am concerned, this is one of the best environments to experience the peace and serenity of Buddhism.

If you have the opportunity to go to Putuo, don't miss the chance to pay a visit to this small Guanyin Cave Temple as you visit the other major temples.

Other buddhist shrines in China:

Mount Wutai     Mount Jiuhua     Mount Emei

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